Getting Real About Tobacco

As kids across the United States return to school this month, they’ll find something new in their lesson plans: straight talk about the dangers of tobacco use.

As part of our commitment to making the next generation tobacco free, CVS Health is launching a joint initiative with Scholastic, the global children’s publishing, education and media company, to introduce a new school-based tobacco-prevention program to teach children about the health consequences of tobacco use.

During the 2015-2016 school year, nearly three million students in the third, fourth and fifth grades will have access to in-classroom materials, take-home activities to complete with their parents, and digital content that explains the dangers of smoking and its effects on the body. And beginning in 2016, a second program for students in grades six and seven will launch as a pilot in select states and cities.

“Kids are particularly vulnerable to the lure of tobacco because of peer pressure and media influences, and we know that 90 percent of adult smokers began at or before age 18Calculated based on data in National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 2012. See, also, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Preventing Tobacco Use Among Young People: A Report of the Surgeon General, 1994. ,” said Eileen Howard Boone, Senior Vice President, Corporate Social Responsibility and Philanthropy at CVS Health. “Our goal with the Scholastic program is to give kids tools and resources that can help them stay tobacco free throughout their lives.”

Learn more about our commitment to fostering a tobacco-free generation.

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About CVS Health

At CVS Health, we share a clear purpose: helping people on their path to better health. Through our health services, plans and community pharmacists, we’re pioneering a bold new approach to total health. Making quality care more affordable, accessible, simple and seamless, to not only help people get well, but help them stay well in body, mind and spirit.